The Good News: Empathy is Alive and Well.

Los Angeles is always surrounded by noise. Literally and figuratively—the city houses over 3 million people and is a large hub for all things entertainment. Undoubtedly, American culture is enveloped by LA’s intense entertainment production along with the famous American-Californian dream. 

But in the past weeks, the city’s noise is not about its entertainment industry or massive population. The fires taking place in LA (which, by now, you’ve heard of) have wreaked havoc among its residents. It’s gained worldwide attention for the wrong reasons.

Disruption is the word I’d use to describe the absolute terror faced within LA communities. Other than people, wildlife has been displaced on an extreme scale. People have abandoned their homes, seeking refuge knowing that while they flee, their homes may be engulfed in flames along with their prized possessions and belongings. 

An important thing to note when looking at this tragedy is that this is not a test of the LA population’s resilience or strength; these fires are simply fires, contributed to heavily by our good friend climate change. Yet, even so, the by-product of climate change’s attempt at humanity’s destruction was, in fact, proof of humanity’s persevering empathy.

We’ve known all too well of the destructive nature humans can possess. The negatives sometimes outweigh their counterparts, so we sometimes forget that our nature can include positives as well. The American people’s response to the LA fires could’ve been indifference. It could’ve been apathetic. But it wasn’t.

It’s true that, overall, the American people have hard truths to wake up to, whether it be international or domestic conflict. There are hard truths everyone needs to face about the world (climate change being one of them). But in a time of need, we came through.

Angelenos, celebrities or not, have come together in the fight against the fires, with over $100 million being raised through GoFundMe to support families who have been affected by the fires. When it comes to specific needs, 14-year-old Avery Colvert began a donation site for teenage girls needing feminine hygiene products as a result of the fires. Additionally, countless celebrities, whatever your opinion may be on them, have taken to social media to spread the word of families in need and organizations to follow in light of the tragedy. Celebrities like Florence Pugh have used their platform to amplify the voices of followers who have extra space for displaced animals, organizations providing relief to the affected, and more. 

The sense of unity that the LA fires have left throughout not just the LA community but throughout the United States has been grand. It’s this sense of unity that gets things done. It’s this sense of unity that passes legislation, this sense of unity that impeaches dangerous presidents, this sense of unity that stops sayings like “drill, baby, drill.”

We cannot let this sense of unity go to waste. Learn the facts and accept the hard truths we’ve, regrettably, ignored until now. Climate change doesn’t stop for anyone, so neither should you.

To learn more about the LA fires and find resources to support those affected by them, visit https://211la.org/LA-Wildfires. To directly donate money to those affected, visit https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/wildfire-relief/california.